Banded Karyotypes of 11 Species of American Bats (Genus Myotis)

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Abstract
G[Giemsa]- and C[constitutive heterochromatin]-band patterns for 11 spp. of New World Myotis [M. thysanodes, M. n. nigricans, M. n. carteri, M. velifer velifer, M. v. incautus, M. yumanensis, M. sodalis, M. grisescens, M. keeni, M. evotis, M. auriculus, M. austroriparius and M. keaysi] are described. The karyotypes have remained highly stable during the evolution of this group; all species studied possess 2n = 44 with 4 pairs of biarmed autosomes and a biarmed X. The only variation encountered is the size of the Y chromosome and chromosome 25, which is typically a minute acrocentric but in some species is a metacentric. The variation in both the Y and number 25 chromosomes is due to differing amounts of C-band positive heterochromatin. Three species of American long-eared Myotis [M. auriculus, M. evotis and M. thysanodes] appear to be karyotypically derived. A nomenclatural system is proposed for vespertilionid chromosomes in which each autosomal arm is numbered and each band is numbered beginning at the centromere. There are more than 200 bands identifiable in the G-band karyotype of Myotis.